Robert Jacob Samuelson (born December 23, 1945) is a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

journalist for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', where he has written about business and economic issues since 1977. He was a columnist for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' magazine from 1984 to 2011.

Career

He began his career in journalism as a reporter on the business desk of ''The Washington Post'' in 1969 and left the paper to become a freelancer in 1973. His work has appeared in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'', ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'' and the ''

Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, an ...

''. He joined the '' National Journal'' in 1976, where he wrote the "Economic Focus" column. He was a contributing editor there from 1981 to 1984, when he left to write for ''Newsweek''.Newsweek: Robert Samuelson: Contributing Editor: Newsweek
, MSBNC, May 14, 2004. Accessed September 23, 2006. At age 75, Samuelson posted his last op-ed article in ''The Washington Post'' on September 14, 2020.

Personal life

Samuelson was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and raised in nearby

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

. He received his bachelor's degree in 1967 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, where he concentrated in government.Robert J. Samuelson
, "The Business News Luminaries" website of the "TJFR Group". Accessed September 23, 2006. He and his wife, Judith Herr, live in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

and have three children.

Journalism awards

Samuelson has received: *1993 John Hancock Award for Best Business and Financial Columnist *National Headliner Award for Feature Column on a Single Subject in both 1992 and 1993; another in 1987 for Best Special Interest Column * Gerald Loeb Awards for Commentary in 1994, 1986 and 1983; Loeb finalist in 1988 for his columns on the

October 1987 Wall Street crash Black Monday is the name commonly given to the global, sudden, severe, and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. In Australia and New Zealand, the day is also referred to as ''Black Tuesday'' because of the time zo ...

*An Alicia Patterson Journalism FellowshipAlicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship
/ref> in 1982 to research and write about the changes in the U.S. economy since World War II. *1981 National Magazine Award

Books by Samuelson

*''The Good Life and Its Discontents: The American Dream in the Age of Entitlement'', (Random House: 1995) 368 pages, *''Untruth: Why the Conventional Wisdom Is (Almost Always) Wrong'', (Random House: 2001) 304 pages (trade paperback edition) *''The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: The Past and Future of American Affluence'', (Random House: 2008) 336 pages

Notes

External links

*
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Samuelson, January 2, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuelson, Robert J. 1945 births Living people Harvard University alumni American male journalists American columnists American economics writers Newsweek people The Washington Post people Gerald Loeb Award winners for Columns, Commentary, and Editorials